After
by Maybesandhopefullys
Summary: CIVIL WAR SPOILERS. Never had he been so relieved to hear her voice. He couldn't even turn around out of relief, his whole body frozen in joy and surprise.
"I hear you kissed Carter."

Never had he been so relieved to hear her voice. He couldn't even turn around out of relief, his whole body frozen in joy and surprise. He knew she was teasing him about the kiss he shared with Sharon, but he could not help but play along as he turned around slowly, casually returning her mocking with a quip of his own, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile he could not hide.

"Well, my girlfriend hadn't been around, and there was a beautiful woman right there; how could I resist?"

Maria Hill is not one to show much emotion, but even she could not help but practically fly across the room into Steve's arms. They had not seen each other in weeks, his refusal to sign the Sokovia Accords and the subsequent events preventing them from communicating. Their last words before he had gone to Vienna had been short and sweet, a rushed phone call before he had left to find his last link to his past. Now, they were back in each other's arms, providing him a grounding point in this mad and confusing world. His warm arms surrounded her, her breath warm against his chest where her forehead rested. They shared a few moments of silence before their lips found each other in reunion. She had missed his smell; the musky scent that was not dimmed by the fact he had been wearing the same clothes for days. After a few minutes they broke apart and she licked her lips, remembering the taste of his kiss. He drew her into his embrace once more, her petite frame almost completely surrounded by his large one.

"Mmm, yes. I can tell you've been kissing other women." she said with a smirk.

He groaned into her hair where his lips rested, "Who told you about that anyway?"

"Who do you think?" She teased. _Sam._

"I am going to kill that guy." She seemed to find this hilarious, he could tell that she was emitting one of those rare smiles against his chest and he pulled away so as to see it himself. He met her grin with one of his own, he had missed these relaxed exchanges; for so long he had been chasing down Bucky and had not been able to fully enjoy their time together. Admittedly he was now a criminal on the run from every government in the world, but that gave them a strange sense of peace. He had found Bucky; his true mission was over. But the thought of Bucky was bittersweet. Yes, he had finally been reunited with his first friend, but he had lost him just as quickly; at least it was by Buck's own choice this time, not that was of much consolation to Steve. Maria's soft touch against his jaw brought him back to her, instead of lost inside his head.

"Hey," she whispered gently. "You alright? I heard about Bucky."

He didn't even need to speak to reveal his true feelings to her, one look and she knew that he had been hiding the depth of his pain. His eyes welled with tears that threatened to break free as he sunk into her open arms. HIs large body racked with sobs, she could do nothing but hold him as they sunk together to the floor, his pain weighing him down until his legs could no longer support him. The superhuman rarely showed his weaker side, he always remained strong in front of the team, but with her he knew he could let his barriers fall down.

He had lost his best friend. _Again._

She lost track of how long they sat, wrapped around each other on the floor. He eventually shifted from where he rested his head in the crook of her neck, her hand quietly stroking the slightly grubby hair. As he pulled away he shook his head, clearing the pain from his face before he stood and extended a hand to help her up from their place on the floor.

She became aware of the noise his team mates were making in the other room as they came closer to the door that separated the two of them from the rest. She hadn't really been surprised to find out that he had broken them all free from their underwater cells, it had actually shocked her how easily she had found their safe house in Moscow, thought the not so subtle hints from Nat had helped. How Nat knew about her and Steve, let alone where the criminals were all hiding was beyond her, that woman always seemed to know what was up at any given time, whatever side she was supposedly on.

The team actually cheered when they joined them in the other room. Maria supposed it was no use to keep her and Steve's relationship a secret like they had done before this whole mess had started, so she didn't mind when he pulled her into his side, his arm casually slotting around her waist, his hand resting on her hip. They spent the rest of the evening laughing over old tales of missions and adventures, as usual Clint's were the funniest; he twisted tales about messes that him and Nat had got into until none of them were sure what was real and what was just a figment of his imagination. It is in this moment that she really missed Nat. Nat who would roll her eyes at Clint's stories and then tell them the true, if not even more fantastical events.

But Nat can't be here, not while they are on the run from the law, and so she curled closer into Steve's side where they were sat, huddled on the blanket covered floor of the small safe house. They may not have had all their friends with them, but they had each other.


End file.
